


Just as we practiced

by FenarielTheDalishMage



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Jedi: Fallen Order (Video Game)
Genre: Father son relationship, Gen, Jaro Tapal Lives, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, The Force, bogling buddy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-30
Updated: 2020-01-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:38:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22470415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FenarielTheDalishMage/pseuds/FenarielTheDalishMage
Summary: Instead of dying on the escape pod Jaro Tapal survives though is too injured to wield a lightsaber ever again. He and Cal live on Bracca in hiding for five years before Prauf’s fatal fall and Cal’s use of the force.
Relationships: BD-1 & Cal Kestis, Cal Kestis & Jaro Tapal, Cal Kestis & Merrin, Cere Junda & Cal Kestis, Greez Dritus & Cal Kestis
Comments: 10
Kudos: 103





	1. Chapter 1

It had been one of the bad days that day, Jaro Tapal lying in bed and nursing his old laser burns from the onslaught of rifles that he had defended his Padawan from. Well he was until he heard clamoring in the hallways of the scrapper’s guilds halls. Talk about a Jedi! His Padawan could be the only one. He quickly gathered up all of their belongings and used the force to soften his landing when he jumped out the three story window, a window which he could barely fit through, and hurried to the escape pod that had saved them all those years ago.

Cal had learned much over the years in ways of engineering and had hidden little parts and pieces under his poncho from when he salvaged ships. Five years was a long time, long enough that his Padawan had turned the escape pod into a small ship with a warp drive enough to get it to the next system. He sighed as he closed the escape pod-made ship-and focused on the force meditating to reach his Padawan’s mind.

_Cal Kestis, you better have a good explanation for this!_

Moments passed and he felt nothing through their bond. Long enough that he started to worry. Then, as if hit by a Venator class ship he felt such fear and grief that he almost shed a tear. His Padawan was hurting, his _son_ was hurting. He tried to pass peace and the mantra through the bond but, something was wrong.

Suddenly he was surrounded by fog, he got up and saw his apprentice stumble through looking flushed and weak. “Padawan!” He cried out, the word had evolved in their five years of hiding while still secretly teaching him the way of the Jedi. Padawan became son and Master became father. 

“Ma...Master...” The teenager stumbled as if he had no strength left but he was able to pass the feeling of being in the presence of a Jedi that had cut themself off from the force and a Lateron that had a habit for gambling. Then nothing.

Jaro Tapal gasped as he came out of his meditation and made his way to the cantina, he had some people to find. 

***

Cal was tired and scared and grief stricken for his friend. He was now on a strange ship with strange people, people who claimed to want to help him but he knew they weren’t telling the whole story. He felt something drip from his nose and wiped away blood, suddenly not feeling well but he stayed upright, his shaking hands holding his Master’s lightsaber in front of him for protection.

“Who are you people?” He heard the female human talk but it sounded muted like he was underwater.

”My name is Cere Junda, and this is my captain, Greez Dritus,” she pointed to the Lateron next to her. But she stopped suddenly when she saw the blood trickling from his nose. “Hey, are you-“ the red haired boy fell and she ran to catch him before he hit the floor. Thankfully she was just barely successful. “Greez, help me get him over to the couch!” The Lateron complained but complied anyway.

”Well, what’s wrong with him? I know I don’t know many Jedi but they don’t just faint like that!”

Cere sighed and felt his head, he was burning up, then saw the blood coming from his nose. She opened his eyelids and shined a flashlight in them, after retrieving the med pack, and saw his pupils were heavily dilated. She sighed and brought a blanket over to cover him. “He’s suffering from force exhaustion. Any Padawan after battling an inquisitor would be. 

“Ma...Master...” He mumbled in his sleep. 

“Do you think his Master is alive?” Greez asked.

”I doubt it, many Masters sacrificed themselves to save their Padawans when Order 66 happened.”

As if the force had willed it, the holotable beeped with an incoming transmission.

The Lateron looked nervously over to the once Jedi Master. “Should I answer it?”

She sighed. “Let me scramble our location first.”

With quick hands she typed and hit a number of different buttons and switches before she gave a nod to the captain.

”You’ve reached Greez Dritus-“

“ **I don’t know who you are but you have a certain Padawan of mine and I will not hesitate to get him back**.”

”Woah, woah, we didn’t nab him, we saved him!”

”Master Tapal, you’re alive!”

” **Master Junda** , **I didn’t know you had survived**. **My Padawan** , **how is he**? **I could not reach him clearly through our force bond**.”

”He is suffering from force exhaustion at the moment. He is unconscious right now.”

” **I see**. **I have a small ship that can only get to the next system from the Bracca System I’ll send you coordinates of a safe place to meet. Until then** , **may the force be with you**.”

”We’ll rendezvous shortly, MasterTapal, may the force be with you.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaro Tapal joins the Mantis crew and reunites with his dear Padawan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m glad so many people liked the first chapter! I haven’t written a story in a long time and I’m also recovering from major spine surgery so Updates will be sporadic but I’m in love with this fandom and hate that there are so few stories on it. There will be time skips and might be some inaccuracies(I grew up on Star Wars so my memory about technology and stuff is fuzzy so I’ll be relying on Wookieepedia a lot. But I hope you continue this adventure with me!

Jaro Tapal shouldered all the bags he had packed, which weren’t many, and approached the sleek S-161 “Stinger” XL Luxury Yacht he sensed his Padawan was on. Also aboard was a Force sensitive, presumably Master Junda, who had cut themself off from the Force and a normal sentient being. As the ramp descended and the hatch opened he was surprised at the sight that greeted him.

“Master Junda, you look much different from when we last met.” Indeed she did. Her long dreadlocks, that had been decorated with beads, were now gone, her hair now cut short and curled tight. She wore clothing that looked like it fit on a smuggler with knee high boots. A blaster was secured at her hip with a belt while an empty husk of a lightsaber rested against her other hip. Her Jedi robes were nowhere to be seen, though that was probably for the best.

She smiled in concession before waving him in. ”I could say the same, Master Tapal.” The old Lasat had chopped off his long braid and had replaced it with a small wolf’s tail while his beard had been groomed into a goatee. He wore a worn rigger’s uniform that was black with orange shoulders and knees while his prehensile feet were covered in special gloves that matched his hands. He had a slight limp in his left leg and seemed hunched over but properly straightened up after boarding the ship. He looked around and saw that his assumptions of the ship being a luxury cruiser was correct but Cal, or his lightsaber, was nowhere in sight.

”Holy kriff! How in the hell are we gonna hang onto the measly credits we have if I have to get enough food to feed a Lasat!?” A Latero exclaimed as he entered the lounge area. He was wearing a red pilot’s jacket with white accents and leather along the back of his shoulders and white pants to match with brown boots and a necklace with a rectangle charm on it. His grey hair had receded to the sides of his head and he only had a few hairs left on top. “It’s bad enough we got the kid but now a Lasat! Cere, I know you’re the boss but our pockets are light as it is!”

The human woman sighed in both annoyance and resignation at the same time. “Master Tapal, allow me to introduce my pilot, Greez Dritus.” The next sentence was directed to the Latero through gritted teeth. “Who I’m sure is honored to meet a Jedi Master and hero such as yourself.”

The Latero, Greez Dritus, gave a bow in welcome and exclaimed “Oh but of course! Of course, please excuse my rudeness.” He glared at the human woman before returning to the cockpit and sitting himself in the pilot’s chair while mumbling about how _honored_ he actually was.

“Please, excuse his attitude, Master Tapal. Speaking of the boy, I’m sure you are anxious to see him. He hasn’t been improving as much as I thought he would since he fell unconscious.” She started leading her fellow Jedi to the back of the ship. “For now, we have set up a cot for him to rest and regain his strength. It doesn’t seem to be restful though. But I don’t blame him, any interaction with an Imperial Inquisitor can be harrowing.” A dark look appeared on her face.

The Lasat frowned, concerned. “Is that why you have cut yourself off from the force? Because you’ve experienced this?”

Cere sighed and stopped right before they entered the area where Cal was. “It was during Order 66. I took my Padawan, Trilla, and the rest of the younglings to hide in a set of caves. The Clone Troopers were about to find us so I told Trilla to keep the younglings hidden and that I’d lure the Empire away then circle back and we’d keep moving. Except I was caught, overwhelmed by the enemy and was taken to an Imperial base on Nur. I was tortured but resisted for a long time until...” She shook her head. “They eventually broke me, all the younglings were killed along with Trilla.”

”How did you escape?” Master Tapal placed a hand on her shoulder in an effort of support.

”A prison riot. After that I hid and cut myself off from the force.” She turned to him with a burning passion in her eyes. “But both you and your Padawan _survived_! There is still hope! I’ll explain more once your Padawan has rested and recovered.”

They entered the back of the ship and Jaro Tapal surveyed the area, seeing a good spot for meditation and a workbench where they could repair and build lightsabers. He knew Cere wasn’t telling the whole truth but he’d leave her be for now. He only had eyes for his Padawan. He felt Cal’s head and frowned at the heat as well as the bleeding from his nose. Could he have experienced an overwhelming vision like when he was younger? Maybe whatever caused him such grief had caused him to have nightmares? He struggled with them as a child and, even though he tried to hide it, he still experienced them even at 17 years of age. 

“I can care for him now. I just need a cloth and a basin of cool water.”

Cere nodded. “Of course, I’ll bring them right away with the medkit we have. I’ll also make some broth that will just need to be heated up in the galley.”

”Thank you, Master Junda.” He nodded thankfully.

”Please, I’m not a Jedi any longer. Just call me Cere, just like when we were Padawans.” She smiled sadly and left to retrieve the desired items.

***

Cal sighed as something blissfully cool gently wiped his face before coming back to rest on his forehead. He felt like a Star had settled in his body and the relentless heat wouldn’t stop. His arm fell from whatever he had been placed on and he seized as images and emotions flashed through his head. Suddenly he was 12 years old again and Prauf was shielding him as the Clone Troopers shot at them. He kept urging Cal to hurry up with the escape pod. The scene changed. Now it was his Master being impaled by the Second Sister. He screamed in rage and grief as his Master fell to the floor and he tried to strike the Inquisitor.

He heard voices and felt restraints around his arms and legs. He tried to struggle but had no strength left as tears fell down his face and he let out a wail of agony as he watched those he loved be killed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love that this chapter ended up being so long. I prefer long chapters to short ones, more content you know? Sorry it was so angsty and that I tortured Cal. I promise that next chapter will be fluffy


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cal finally wakes up, seeing his Master and they finally make it to bogano.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Much more fluffy, this chapter will be. Also I’m changing Cal’s vision a little.

Cal jolted awake, a lukewarm cloth falling off his forehead and hitting the floor with a splat. He heard a sigh, partly fond and partly annoyed. Looking over he saw his Master meditating in the corner of the room they were in, though he could only tell it was on a ship, which meant that it wasn’t a dream. Prauf was really dead and Cal had ruined his and his Master’s covers that they’d kept for _five years_. “Master I’m-“

”If the next word is ‘sorry’ then I will be very cross.” The Lasat replied. He opened his green eyes and looked at his Padawan with a scrutinizing gaze, noting the boy looked much better, thank the Force. “You’ve been unconscious for two days. It seems your _ability_ got the best of you after suffering from Force exhaustion. We will be doing more meditating and focusing on increasing your Force reserves as well as tolerance for it.” He got up and sat on the bed. “But I’m glad you’re alright, my Padawan.” He gently guided the boy’s forehead to touch his own in a display of fondness.

”I’m sorry I worried you, Master.” Cal’s voice was scratchy from screaming and crying but he still was thankful his Master didn’t abandon him. _He would never_ a voice in his head said. The Padawan had to agree. Tears started to fall from his eyes. “Master, Prauf is dead. He was killed trying to save me. He wasn’t even given a proper burial, just tossed aside like trash.”

”What happened?” They parted and the Master wiped the tears from his Padawan’s face.

”We were dismantling a Venator-class wing when the foreman droid told us he’d pay us double for the shift to assist with the clamps, they’d malfunctioned and they needed two people to go and secure them. Prauf and I took the job. The ladder went out after Prauf climbed up so I took an alternate route through the wing and we met at the clamps. We secured the clamps and climbed onto the top of the wing where we found an old Republic fighter jet with an abandoned droid, too broken beyond repair. Prauf started talking about how the finders fee could pay to get us off of Bracca and how I was young and needed to make a life for myself and settle down somewhere nice with my Father so he could enjoy his retirement years.”

This made the young man smile a bit as the old Lasat grunted and frowned at being called an old man. “I’m not that old.”

Cal smiled as he wiped his nose on his sleeve, an action that made the other make a face, before he returned to the story. “All of a sudden the cables on one of the clamps started snapping one by one and we tumbled down the wing. I was lucky, my foot got tangled in some wires so it stopped me from falling into the maw-“

”Cal how many times have I told you not to take work near the maw!”

”it pays the most and I wasn’t going to let Prauf do it by himself!” The redhead retorted. “Plus that thing is so big that it must cover over ten sections!”

The master sighed and conceded to the fact before getting back on track. “Anyways you said you were lucky, what did you mean by that?”

The younger sighed. “Prauf was barely holding on, it was raining pretty heavily, he started slipping and then fell. He would’ve fell into the maw but I,” he hesitated “I used the force to slow his fall, not realizing there was a probe droid watching us-“

”Cal, you used the force outside of the apartment! How many-“

”I know ‘how many times have I told you not to use the force outside of the apartment’ but I had to! He was about to fall into the maw and a piloted platform was coming by so I just slowed him so he fell onto it then I got myself down and piloted us back to safety. Prauf started going on about how he’d ‘heard the stories’ and ‘it had to be the force’ and I told him to be quiet and that I knew it was the force. He agreed to keep it secret, but neither of us noticed that probe droid recording everything.” He sighed. “I had a vision through the force on the train, it was of Master Yoda, when we were about to search for our Kyber crystals.”

”A vision from Master Yoda?” The Lasat was surprised and amazed. “What did he say?”

”’Always trust in the force, you must.’ Then I woke up and the train had stopped. Prauf tried to reassure me that it was probably just another contraband check.”

”It wasn’t, was it?”

”No, it wasn’t. We were escorted out of the train in a line with our IDs out and there were black Clone Troopers with red visors and red and black uniforms with weapons that were way more advanced than regular laser rifles. A specialized Tie fighter landed next to a bigger ship and two women came out. That lady, Cere, said they were Imperial Inquisitors and that they were Force users who hunted Jedi. They said that a traitor was hiding amongst us and that it was a Jedi. Prauf tried to give us more time, I guess, since they were going to execute us if the traitor didn’t show themselves. She impaled Prauf with one end of her double lightsaber and I lashed out in grief, drawing your lightsaber. The other woman, a Dowutin, dropped me from the platform and I fell through the roof of a guarded train. I had to fight my way towards the front and that’s when Cere and her pilot entered the scene. They eventually got me on board their ship and we escaped after I barely survived an encounter with someone called the Second Sister.”

“Force have mercy, Cal.” He hugged his apprentice and smiled as he was reassured he wasn’t too banged up.

”So, where are we?”

”Headed for Bogano, at the moment.” A dark skinned woman, Cere, if he remembered correctly, walked in. Sorry to intrude, Master Tapal but I heard voices and wanted to see how our resident Padawan was doing.” She leaned against the wall and looked Cal up and down for any signs of force exhaustion. “So, you have phsycometry, very rare. Even in Jedi it’s rare. What Master Cordova would’ve done to be born with it.” She smiled with a faraway look in her eyes.

Master Tapal hummed in agreement “Master Cordova was always asking about Cal whenever we met, which wasn’t much to begin with.” He turned to his student. Cal meet Master...my apologies, meet Cere. We were Padawan together. Cere, my Padawan, Cal Kestis.”

Cal didn’t know whether to bow or not so he bent slightly at the waist. “My deepest apologies for brandishing my Master’s lightsaber at you. I was just frightened.”

Cere nodded. “I know, it’s hard when the Inquisitors catch scent of you, you have great skill if you survived the Second Sister.”

”Thank you, but I think it was just mostly survival instincts. Um, what’s Bogano?”

Cere smiled. “A place the Empire doesn’t even know about.” With that she left and they felt the spacecraft coming out of light speed.


End file.
